Bitten by the port virus from childhood.
Once the virus has got you, it won't let go.
And so the port became my profession as well as my hobby.
Dear visitor,
Welcome to this website! Let me introduce myself briefly. Since childhood I have been passionate about everything that has to do with shipping, especially in the port of Zeebrugge. I have been able to turn my passion into my profession and I am currently working in the harbor at Hoppe Maritime Group as shipping agent.
My name may sound familiar to some. In addition to this fanpage, I also have a website completely dedicated to the cruise world in our coastal port. On the website www.cruiseschepeninzeebrugge.be and the Facebook page "Cruise Port Zeebrugge - Fanpage" you can find all information about everything related to cruises in Zeebrugge.
2009, the year I was really bitten by the virus from the ships.
Until 2009, as a child, I didn't get further than just looking at pictures on the internet of the great ships that sail around the seven seas.
When I was 12 years old it was time to sail with a ship for the first time! A day trip from Calais to Dover and back only cost €26 at the time, so we decided to cross the English Channel to England. Once we at the time arrived in Dover we looked from the cliffs to the harbor, where ferries sail in and out continuously and where you have a beautiful view over the English Channel.
We enjoyed this trip so much that we did the same thing the year after. Even now a day trip to Dover is sometimes planned. Not for the beautiful nature, but for the ships!
In 2010, I saw the Ventura cruise ship for the first time from a reasonably close distance. That was also the moment when the passion for the port became apparent. More and more people went to Zeebrugge to take a look at the ships.
When we got to know the harbor tours (then with the shipping company Euro Line, then with Franlis (now Captain Blue)) it became clear that I wanted to immerse myself in the world of the Zeebrugge harbor. In 2011 I started the Cruise Port Zeebrugge - Fanpage, 4 years later in 2015 the Port of Zeebrugge - Fanpage followed.
I want to share my photos through both pages, but also bring people closer to what is happening in the Zeebrugge harbor. And to this day I am starting to succeed!
It quickly became clear that I would end up in port professionally. So, unlike other students, I didn't really have any trouble choosing my field of study.
After my secondary education in Bruges, I went to Blankenberge to follow a year of Transport Management Assistant at Sint Jozef Sint Pieter. There I got to know the port of Zeebrugge closely for the first time, partly thanks to an internship at the shipping agency of ICO. During that internship I had the time of my life.
The seventh year in Blankenberge turned out to be the ideal springboard for me to the Logistics Management course at Howest. I started the bachelor with full courage and enthusiasm and that turned out to be a very good choice. During my internship at CSP I was offered a permanent contract, so I could proudly put an end to my school career. After 4 exciting years at CSP, I started a new adventure in the port at Hoppe Maritime Group as shipping agent.
I am also proud to be an ambassador for the 2 courses of study and I would like to share my enthusiasm with current or future TMA or Logistics Management students!
